Wednesday, February 8, 2017

I am supporting Diane Marlin for mayor of Urbana in the
upcoming primary election. Having served on the City Council with Diane for
several years, I have seen her common sense and keen logic, and her commitment
to serving the community in every aspect. She is a tremendously hard worker.

Diane’s opponent is the incumbent mayor Laurel Prussing. In
previous years I have always supported Mayor Prussing and have never regretted
that decision. In all of the previous selections she was the better choice, but
that is not true in this election.

A major concern about Mayor Prussing is the extent to which
her rhetoric has destroyed the possibility of any constructive engagement
between the city and Carle hospital and clinic, one of the most important
institutions in our city. I totally
support the lawsuit challenging Carle’s tax exempt status. The logic of the suit is well-founded, we have
a good chance of winning, and I hope we we do. But it is counterproductive and
frankly foolish to demonize Carle, as Mayor Prussing repeatedly has done,
because we disagree with them about a matter of tax policy.For example the Mayor has said, without
evidence, that Carle misrepresents the amount of charity care it provides,
calling their numbers “highly inflated”. The only effect of such statements is to make
it impossible for Carle and the city to work together in areas where they do
have common interests.How do you work
with somebody after you call that person a liar? How does that person trust you when you have
made that accusation without evidence?

This demonization is especially destructive because, with
the institution of the new medical school at the University, there is a
wonderful opportunity for a local biotechnology industry to emerge. We should
be talking with Carle and with the University about how the city can facilitate
that, and especially to facilitate the development here in Urbana, which is
contiguous to both Carle and to the University engineering campus. Instead the
mayor has created such a climate of enmity that these discussions are currently
impossible. We need a new leader to move forward on this issue.

I am also greatly concerned about Mayor Prussing’s actions
in letting a personal vendetta distort her decision-making in the exercise of
her public duties, with resultant great cost to the taxpayers.A couple of years ago the Mayor fired
(strictly speaking, refused to re-appoint) an employee in the Urbana’s Finance
Department.

The employee felt that the firing was wrongful and sought a
hearing from the city under our Human Rights Ordinance. The staff, who reported to Mayor Prussing and
served at her pleasure, made a ruling that the city could not be held
accountable under its own Human Rights Ordinance. The reasoning was that for city staff to preside
over such a hearing would be a conflict of interest. This decision, under Mayor
Prussing’s guidance, effectively exempts the city from the Human Rights Ordinance
that it imposes on all other institutions in the city. This is illogical and
wrong.

I believe this decision was the result of a climate of fear
within the city workforce, and serves to reinforce that climate of fear.It led to the resignation by then-Finance
Director Bill DeJarnette, who cited a “toxic environment” and bullying in his resignation
statement.

When the fired employee resorted to a lawsuit, the correct
path for the city was clear. The city has liability insurance, with a
deductible cap of $100,000, for just such cases. However Mayor Prussing decided
that the law firms the insurance company suggested were not acceptable, and
instead hired an outside firm, therefore forfeiting all of the protection we had
under the insurance policy. The city wound up spending approximately $200,000
on the case, at least $100,000 more than we should have. It is totally
unacceptable for the taxpayers to pay for the Mayor’s personal hostilities
towards a particular individual, which I believe was the issue in this case.

By contrast I am completely confident that Mayor Marlin will
execute the responsibilities motivated not by her personal feelings, but
completely by the public good.I have read a bit about
Bernie Sanders as Mayor of Burlington. In his first run, businesses opposed
him, because of his populist views. For his re-election, they all supported him,
because he brought people together in a way that everybody benefited. I think
Diane has the potential to be that kind of Mayor.For her temperament, her character,
her experience, and her competence, I support Diane Marlin for Mayor completely
without reservation.